In My Waking Dreams
by bloomsburry-dhazellouise
Summary: All her friends were saved by Dobby from the Dungeons of Malfoy Manor. All of them escape, except one.. Hermione Granger. After weeks of being constantly tortured, Hermione's mind finally broke, and her descent to madness was inevitable. That's when a friend came to visit her every night, but who she thought was a friend was in fact none other than Lucius Malfoy - DISCONTINUED


**Chapter 1: Her Descent to Insanity**

 _ **Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire**_

 _ **England, Great Britain**_

" **Crucio!"**

"AAARGGHHHH!"

A high-pitched scream resounded around the cavernous parlour inside the Malfoy Manor, which was soon punctuated by an insane cackle from the black-haired witch, who was currently traipsing around a twitching form of a girl on the floor.

The girl's malnourished body bled freely from the recent cuts she had received from her tormentor. The ripped and torn clothing that she wore was wet from the amount of tears, blood, sweat, mucus, piss and her own filth that had accumulated all over it in the last few days – or even weeks during her captivity. While grime, dirt and dried blood clamped her hair into thick, tight knots that could make a very good nesting place for any avian vertebrates.

There were crimson stains that flaked all over the girl's sickly, pale skin; her face was marked by a multitude of discolouration that ranged from different shades of pink, purple, blue - and some that were yellow, brown and light green; a clear indication that all the contusions on her facial features, were either old or new.

" **CRUCIO!"**

And once more, the girl's dirty and dishevelled figure convulsed from the onslaught of invisible hot iron knives pressing brought by the cruciatus curse.

"AARRRGGGHHH!"

Screams reverberated through the parlour yet again. The girl twitched and jerked as the Cruciatus curse drove all thoughts from her mind. There was nothing left, except pain, pain, pain – excruciating pain – a pain so absolute that she forgot who she was, why she was there and almost everything that kept most of her sanity intact (or what was left of it).

For nearly a month, she had been tortured by the woman.

Hermione had already descended into the realm of madness, where she could no longer distinguished what was real, and what was not. Her thought processes were not functioning as it usually should.

Sometimes she even had a hard time interpreting images, tastes, scents and sounds that she received - and most often than not – it would always lead to an epileptic episodes or fainting spells that last for minutes. It often happened when she tried to process complex information or other external stimulus.

The nonstop abuse of Cruciatus curse on her weakened body had etched the convulsing effects on her muscle memory that would sometime send her into a phantom bouts of twitching pain; agony lancing every inch of her.

Regardless, the torture curse was not the only favourite method that the dark witch loved to use on her. The mad woman had also used up her extensive stash of special carving daggers to prolong Hermione's suffering.

At the moment, her body was riddled with cuts that would never heal. It lined most of her upper and lower limbs with vicious words carved on her skin - skin that would forever be an angry red and forever opened for the world to see.

 _Mudblood. Filth. Vermin. Impure._

A prominent brand of what the majority of the pureblood society perceived of her.

A mudblood with no rights - and equal to - or even lower than a house elf herself.

The physical signs of torture and abuse on her body was not the only thing she suffered. The rest of the time, Hermione would be in a world that her mind created, hearing and seeing either of her two best friends in the dungeons with her - even though they had already escaped along with Dobby, Luna, Ollivander, Griphook and Dean Thomas a month ago.

She was the only one left there. The only one who was still being kept alive, albeit there were others who came and went – screaming and pleading - and were immediately killed the next day and never to be seen or heard again. Faces that were familiar, and not, which would continuously haunt her in her nightmares.

Their dead bodies would be left to rot in the dungeons along with her. For days on end, the stench of the carcass would be too much for Hermione to handle that she would involuntarily end up vomiting blood – blood due to the lack of food the she had to endure for days.

It only worsened when the flies, rats and maggots which would turn up to consume the rotting corpse that had lain there for three days or more.

The sight of the maggots crawling out from the orifices of the carcass - or the buzzing sound of the flies and the insistent scuttling of the black rats all across the cold, stone floor - were a constant reminder to Hermione that she was in hell.

It was hard to ignore the nibbling and chewing noises when the rats and maggots had eated up the exposed entrails, bloody limbs and fleshy bits and pieces, where the pile of meat would soon turn into a skeleton in a matter of days.

Even the gruel – the only meal she was forced to gobble every three days after - was hard for Hermione to swallow. The stink and the blood pools that sometimes reached her spot in the dungeon was enough to drive away what was left of her appetite, which worsened Hermione's deplorable condition.

And as result, it weakened her all the more.

In the past weeks, Hermione had felt lucky that it wasn't her that ended up like that. Voldemort had reluctantly kept her alive because she was too valuable a hostage. Her connection to the boy-who-lived had saved her from a far worst fate.

Yet the red string that had connected her to the prophesied child also condemned her to this hellhole. Hermione was also very glad that she hadn't been given to Fenrir Greyback like she had previously feared, or pass from one death eater to another.

She had been given to the pureblood witch by Voldemort himself the day after her friends had escape the Manor. That had also been the same day when the Malfoys and Bellatrix were subsequently punished for failing to stop Harry from escaping.

Hermione had been unconscious when Dobby had appeared to save the others. During that time, she had been under Bellatrix clutches, making it very difficult for the elf to take her away from there.

Now, she remained a prisoner, and the days that followed was pure agony for Hermione. Her entire world only revolved around nothing but an endless cycle of her own suffering.

There was never a time that her tormentor grew tired of hearing her screams of agony. In fact, the mad witch seemed to enjoy it immensely. The Malfoys and Belatrix failure to keep Harry Potter had nearly cost them their heads, and so Hermione had to pay for their mistake as well.

Despite the fact that Voldemort allowed her to live and breathe in the same air among the rich pureblood family that imprisoned her - it didn't necessarily mean that Hermione was allowed to keep her mental faculties of a witch, or even a normal human being for that matter.

Ergo, in one way or another - regardless of what methods her current tormentor used to torture her - the dark witch always took the time in relishing the sight of Hermione reduced to a level of a slobbering dog - a dog that could no longer bark and bite.

And inevitably, Hermione's sharp mind gradually dissolved into nothing but chaotic thoughts with the tendency to create imaginary friends; albeit these imaginary friends were the only thing that kept her from further slipping into that senseless insanity.

For the past weeks, the hallucinations made her feel like her friends were still truly there, and sometimes Hermione could see some of her close friends, like Ginny, Neville and Luna, and even her parents visiting her. To the point that she ended up talking to them till the early hours of the morning; talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

Even odd was the fact that Hermione often seen either of them holding a bottle of expensive wine to indulge themselves in. The decanter of opened fire whiskey was always present every time Hermione was mentally at her weakest.

She mostly launched into a long tirade when she was at this state. Either way, her frequent visitor was always such a good listener, whether they had a brandy in their hand or not.

Sometimes Hermione would catch a glimpse of a signet ring in their finger and a cane on the other. Although it was always hard to tell with the cloak of darkness that wrapped around her prison cell.

Still, every time she caught a flash of silver gold in the dark that announced her nightly caller, Hermione was always too happy to welcome the hallucinations that soon followed after.

She just couldn't wait to see either of her friends again once her tormentor was done with her.

"AHAHAHA!"

A shrill laughter filled the vast room, accompanied by the insistent screams and choked sobbing as her tormentor danced and twirled around her in mad joy.

The woman's new wand pointed at her while Hermione continued to seize on the blood-stained floor. A puddle of her own piss and blood had already pooled down underneath her after hours of torture.

"How does it feel like to be in as much agony, you filthy vermin?" The dark-haired woman purred while she slashed her wand through the air to end the curse.

The hem of a black dress rustled as it swept through the floor as the mad woman continued to twirl merrily around Hermione's half-conscious form.

"Or would you prefer my special dagger? I vaguely recall that there are still parts of you that are left unmarred."

Hermione didn't acknowledge the woman as she lay there in silence, her muscles still slightly twitching from the after effects of the cruciatus curse. Her cheek pressed against the wet floor – wet from her tears and the spittle that dribbled from her parted lips.

She could also smell the coppery tang of blood as it dripped from her fresh wounds. And there was a lot of it, and she faintly wondered if she was going to die from the blood loss.

"Perhaps it's time for another carving session. I think I'm quite done with your legs and arms." The deranged witch informed her with words that were too hard to follow.

She suddenly felt faint.

"I don't see any spot there left for me to carve. Maybe, the skin on your back will do. Though it will be too hard for the others to see it… unless you are left with no clothes on your back. What do you think nephew? Will the sight of a naked mudblood bother you?"

Hermione hazily heard the woman said something and felt her pivot to look at someone.

"I – I don't know, Aunt Bella. You – you should ask father about it," was the response of a young man, which Hermione remembered as someone from her school, but for the life of her, she could no longer recall the face and the name of this person.

"How about you, dear brother-in-law?" There was a mocking lilt in the woman's voice as she addressed this person. "Will it bother you if I allow the filth to traipse naked inside the manor? Or will you find such actions unseemly for a pureblood? After all, this is your home, Lucius…"

 _Lucius…_ Hermione felt like she knew that name somehow, but she couldn't put a face on that name. _Lucius…_

"I think you already know whose house this belong to now, Bellatrix…and it's certainly not me." was the cold reply from a much older male with a cultured tone.

"I don't understand why you need to ask permission from me, when you have already done quite a lot of things inside the manor without notifying, either my wife or even me, prior to your actions. What's the difference now?"

"Well, since I plan to remove the mudblood's clothing completely, will it trouble you if she is without them throughout her captivity?"

"I don't think that's wise Bella."

It was another woman that spoke this time.

"If you leave the girl without clothing, she will not last long in the dungeons – especially when winter arrives. The cold will certainly kill her."

"Narcissa is right on that one, Bellatrix." There was a sound of scrapping chair as someone got up from their seat, followed by the sound of clinking glass and pouring of liquid.

The masculine voice with the posh lilt continued on, "You will have a lot of explaining to do to the Dark Lord if the mudblood dies."

There was a sound of footsteps as it neared her. Hermione opened her eyes to peer at the tall figure looming over her. She blurrily saw a man with silver-blonde hair and dark clothing, but she couldn't focus more than that.

She already felt her heart beat slowing down while dark spots danced before her eyes.

"And she will be soon, if you don't do something about those cuts Bellatrix… I see a lot of blood pooling underneath her, and she already looked to be half-conscious."

"She will be fine! This is not the first time that I had her lying in her own pool of blood. I haven't even started carving her back yet, which I sorely want to do next."

"Perhaps another time, Bella."

Hermione saw a woman standing next to the silver-haired man; a woman with blonde hair who carefully scrutinized her.

"The girl look like she had lost a lot of blood. She certainly needs a blood replenishing potion… Draco, kindly please be quick and get one from your father's stash in the study."

"Yes, Mother," came the hasty response from the boy, and then there was a loud crack shortly after.

The conversation around her resumed once again.

"Where's the house elf, Narcissa? I thought we have servants for this kind of thing. Not send our son for such menial task."

"I sent the elf to do some important errand, Lucius. I'm sure Draco doesn't mind at all. He seemed to be on the verge of fetching it himself."

Hermione's eyes began to droop.

"I told you she's fine, Cissa! The mudblood is just pretending to be in a weaken state for us to react thusly."

"I don't think so, Bellatrix." Hermione felt fingers prodding her neck, checking for her pulse.

Slowly, Hermione lifted her eyes to look at the person, and saw the blonde man with bloodshot lids and a pair of stormy, grey irises that were currently assessing her; a handsome man once, if he didn't look completely inebriated.

 _I know him…._ Hermione thought as she looked at him through half-lidded eyes, her mind gradually descending into that familiar dark oblivion.

 _I know his name…_

"We are losing her! Her heartbeat is slowing down! We need that potion immediately!"

Hermione vaguely heard him yell in panic while there was another distinctive crack.

"Draco, quick! Give me the potion!" The man demanded in a frantic voice. "We can't let the mudblood die, or it will be off with our heads!"

There was the sound of hurried footsteps, and then there was a soft brush of cloth against her skin as someone knelt beside her.

She felt fingers against her parch lips, trying to pry her mouth open.

"Drink." The voice commanded, triggering a memory in her scattered mind.

 _Malfoy…_ She thought dully.

She felt a trickle of liquid sliding into her mouth and she immediately gulped it down.

"Drink all of it."

Hermione did, slowly remembering the identity of the man.

 _Lucius… Lucius Malfoy,_ was Hermione's last thought, before finally succumbing to that beckoning darkness at last.

 **3 Days Later….**

Hermione was just drifting off to sleep when she heard the unmistakable sound of the door softly being opened. She slowly sat up and look towards the doorway, where she saw the silhouette of a man.

Briefly, she saw a flash of silver hair and a swish of dark clothing as the person took a step forward.

The form solidified into someone familiar.

"Ron." Hermione said smiling at the tall figure, who strode towards her.

"I thought you weren't going to come this time... I presumed that it was going to be Neville, but I know he's still busy with his Herbology assignment."

The red head didn't reply, instead he halted and stood near a wall to survey her; tight-lipped as always, like most of the night he visited her.

And like the past three days, he hadn't brought that familiar bottle of firewhiskey that she was used to see either of her friends carry with them when they visit her. She had been used to seeing them gulping straight up from the bottle or flash, that she had been surprised when they had come empty-handed for the past three days.

Hermione had wondered why, but she never did press for answers because she had felt like if she did… it would break the fragile bond that she had forge with all her frequent visitors – visitors that occasionally came to her at night with a drink in their hands.

"Anyway, I was just thinking about what happened last year." Hermione stated.

There was not a flicker of emotion in Ron's pale features when she said it.

"Oh… I'm talking about when the Chamber of Secrets was opened." She clarified a second later, staring at him.

Immediately, she noted the spark of interests in his eyes, when she mentioned the Chamber of Secrets.

She frowned. Ron seemed to have grown taller, broader across the shoulders and developed a strong aristocratic features - which she recalled not seeing there before…

However, Hermione hastily dismissed her silent observations and continued on.

"Do you remember the time when I ended up petrified?" She asked as she recalled the unpleasant event.

Ron, of course, remained silent as he stared at her waiting - always waiting and listening, but seldom talking.

It had always been like this when Hermione had begun regaling tales to her friends at night.

"I didn't tell you this, but when I was walking down that hallway with a mirror in hand, I thought I was going to die." Hermione admitted to him as she leaned her back against the wall, fiddling with her fingers and shyly glancing at him beneath her lashes.

Ron's face remained abnormally stoic.

"At that time, I had discovered what creature hid inside the Chamber. I was about to go and tell Harry, when I heard the basilisk slithering inside the pipes. In that instant, an image of you flash in my mind...just before I saw the Basilisk's yellow eyes. I didn't know at that time why I thought of you until today..."

There was a long pause as Hermione met Ron's stormy-grey eyes.

"I know we had argued often for nearly two years… and sometimes your lack of manners irked me most of the time. Yet… despite your shortcomings… I just can't stop feeling this way…"

Hermione trailed off, suddenly embarrassed and uncertain.

There was a flash of amusement in Ron's gaze now, which completely baffled Hermione.

She strengthened her resolve and soldiered on.

It was now or never.

"Look," She started. "Ron, I know you are a complete idiot sometimes - but the truth is… I like you very much! I like you since the day you save me from the troll two years ago!"

She confessed rapidly while her face flushed crimson.

There was a pregnant silence, wherein Hermione shifted her gaze directly towards the floor, but not before she noticed the familiar signet ring on Ron's ring finger.

At the glimpse of it, it always made Hermione feel like something bizarre was happening. But like always, she ignored the nagging feeling.

"You know…" A low, masculine voice interrupted the silence, and Hermione whipped her head up to look at the person who spoke.

There was only Ron – or who she thought it was - standing in front of her.

This was the first time Ron had spoken to her since the day her friends started visiting there.

"If I was that blood traitor Weasley you speak of.. I would have immediately declined your poorly vocalized confession." Ron drawled in a cold and contemptuous tone.

Hermione was inwardly puzzled by Ron's statement.

"But you are Ron,'' she said, closely perusing him even through the dim room.

Despite the fact that there might be something peculiar about his stiff posture and some of his physical features, but to Hermione's mind, she could only identify him as her friend - as Ronald Bilius Weasley, also a friend of Harry Potter.

"No, I'm not, mudblood."

Hermione could only frown at the odd name. She didn't know if it was even an endearment that her friend was using.

"Yes, you are. You look like him," she argued.

"I can assure you, mudblood, that I'm not the idiot blood traitor that you have been harbouring feelings for." The not-Ron replied, still amused about something Hermione was unaware of.

"But if you are not him, then who are you?" Hermione asked, getting annoyed.

The Ron lookalike carefully assessed her before he replied.

"You don't know who I am? Hmn…I believe my sister-in-law have broken some part of your mind….but I can see that this must be your way of coping." He informed her, which only confused Hermione even more.

"You hallucinate your friends into existence in place of me, just to preserve their images and emotions that come a long with it. And because of this, you are able to recall some important details of your past every time you talk to me – in spite the fact that you have been subjected to a number of Cruciatus curse earlier today."

Her red-headed friend had spoken to her in a language that Hermione either couldn't understand, or perhaps he was plainly speaking in gibberish because the sounds that she had heard was like listening through underwater.

Hermione unexpectedly felt dizzy as her brain tried to comprehend what her friend had said. Nothing really came to her, but a throbbing headache that made her feel faint.

"So is this the reason you see me as someone different every time I come here?" Ron's Doppler-ganger inquired.

"As a method to cling to what remains of your sanity?... If it is, then I should probably stop coming here… I did had some fun watching you prattle inanely, and hallucinate every once in a while. The sight of you descending into madness was just too entertaining to watch. Now, however, I believe my constant visits have kept a part of your mind intact, which I'm sure my sister-in-law will be furious to hear if she finds out."

Hermione could only stare at him as most of his words sounded garbled. The only thing she understood from Ron was the word 'hallucinate' and 'madness'.

She just couldn't discern why Ron was telling her she was crazy, and that she was hallucinating about him.

It really hurt Hermione to think that her friend thought of her as a mental case.

"But I'm not hallucinating, Ron. And I'm certainly not crazy!" Hermione protested while her lower lip trembled.

She was terribly upset about his words that tears began to gather from the corner of her eyes. "What made you think like that? Because this upsets me more than the tactless words you spoke to me two years ago…and there is certainly no rampaging troll this time to make me forgive you!"

Hermione lapsed into silence while she angrily wiped the tears from her eyes, not even seeing the dried blood and grime that clung to her hands and underneath her long fingernails while she continued to sniff pitifully.

"How old do you think you are this time, girl?" was Ron's puzzling question as he took a step closer to her form on the floor.

Hermione brought her attention back to him.

"Why are you asking me this? You know how old I am, Ron! You even sent me a gift for my thirteenth birthday two months ago!"

A pair of dark-grey eyes regarded her quietly.

"So apparently, your mind has regressed to your younger years in life as well. But it is surprising that you were able to last longer than what I had seen in most victims."

"Ha? What are you talking about?!" Hermione asked the red head, who was now moving away from her.

"Wait, where are you going?!"

"No matter, it would be soon before your mind shatters." Ron stated as he stalked towards the door, his black school robes swishing behind him. "I will wait for it to happen before seeing you again, mudblood."

"Ron! Wait! Why are you leaving?!" Hermione called out after him.

She tried to stand up and follow, but found out that she couldn't move. There were chains on her ankles that prevented her from walking.

She heard the door close as Ron finally left the room.

 _What's really happening to me?_ She thought in despair as her eyes pierced through the darkness.

 **2 Days later…**

She was lying down on a cold surface - a stone floor where she felt something warm and wet sticking against her skin.

The wet liquid smelled unusual…like the salt from the sea, but with a hint of metal.

She dimly remembered that she knew what it was, but the thought was fleeting.

 _Where?_ was the only word that her mind could think of as she slowly shifted.

There was a lot of pain on her back, but she couldn't remember the cause of it, or even recall anything anymore...

Not even her name...

The girl could hear noises, like people were talking. However, she could not understand what was being said as she lay there with her cheeks pressed against the red, sticky liquid that pooled underneath her.

"I think that's enough, Bella. We don't want another accident that happened five days ago… The Dark Lord will certainly not be pleased if the prisoner will become too damage to be of use to him."

"Don't worry too much, Cissy. I have already prepared all the precautionary potions if something happens."

"And what, Bellatrix? Surely, you are not going to wait for the mudblood to be on the brink of death, before you can cram every damn potion you have to revive her?" A masculine voice interjected.

"Why? Is it not a good thing to be prepared?.. Because I'm not quite finish with the filth yet," came the shrill answer from a woman close to her.

"My wife only speaks the truth, Bella... That's enough for today. We can't afford to make another slip like we did with the Potter boy. Torturing the mudblood to the brink of death will not be beneficial for you, or this family. She might end up dead with the way you continue to let her bleed on the floor. The Dark Lord is already furious with us as it is. He will not be forgiving if the mudblood dies sooner than he expects. You should be grateful that he's not in England, lest he won't be too happy to hear what happened days ago."

There was a tense silence, where the girl tried to peek through her matted hair at the people standing not a distant away.

Her eyes caught a blurry outline of a tall man who had just spoken, and someone with dark hair, who stood beside her prone form.

"Still a spineless fool, aren't you Lucius?" The brunette woman asked mockingly. "I don't really understand what my sister sees in you. You are as breakable as that little twig you call a wand – oh, wait…I forgot that you don't have a wand anymore. It must be the other one then, where you certainly haven't proven—"

 **CRASH!**

The sound of something shattering was loud across the vast room. The girl on the floor hazily saw that it had been the man who had thrown something at the wall.

It was unclear what it was, but it was definitely something that was made of glass.

"Enough! That's enough you two!" The girl heard the other woman interfere. "We must talk about this later…For now, the mudblood must be tended to before she loses a lot of blood."

"I still don't see why we should, Cissa. That's still not a lot of blood to be concern about… You and your foolish husband are simply overreacting."

"We are not overreacting, sister… The girl had been constantly starved and dehydrated in weeks - as well as thoroughly bled for the last few days – which could mean that she barely had enough litter of blood for your carving session today. Now, kindly please get the potions that you speak of, Bella, or else the girl's condition will become -"

"No! I won't give her the potion! Since you and your husband seemed to be concern about that filth, you tend to her!"

The girl glimpsed the woman, who had been standing beside her, stormed out. The woman's heels clicking furiously as she strode away.

Then, there was a resounding bang of the door when the woman vacated the room.

"Narcissa, here." She heard the man said.

"I took this from the study just right before I came here. I knew that your sister will be too reckless when it comes to the girl. The mudblood would have been dead if we aren't here to monitor your sister."

"Good thing you have this in your pocket, Lucius…"

There was a clink of something small.

"Because I don't think my sister was too keen in giving up her blood-replenishing potion that easily. She's beyond furious with the both of us."

There was a small pop as something was released.

"Here, drink this."

The girl on the ground stirred slightly when she felt a small, cold object being tipped into her lips. She blearily blinked her eyes to adjust her vision. There was an older woman before her, who was currently giving her an odd-flavoured liquid that she slowly gulped.

"Drink it slowly."

She began coughing as the liquid unintentionally entered down into her airway. The blonde woman instructed with a severe tone.

"I don't think your sister particularly understand why we need to keep the mudblood alive, Narcissa."

The girl listened to the deep rumble of the man's voice as she continued to drink the odd-tasting liquid, and trying not to cough at the same time.

"She may have thought that we were trying to save the girl from her, which wasn't the reason exactly… Be as it may, we have to keep the mudblood alive so long as the Dark Lord desires it, even when the thought of it is disturbing to our pureblood sensibilities. However, since this is another chance that the Dark Lord had given to us, then we must do our best to redeem ourselves in his eyes… I hope Bellatrix understands that three subsequent failures will not end well for our family."

The girl started to drift in and out of consciousness after the woman made her drink all of the liquid.

"Yes, you are quite right, Lucius. I agree that we must do what we can for this family. Bella, however, must be- "

The voices slowly faded out when the girl-with-no-name saw only darkness.

 **3 Days later….**

The girl sitting on the floor giggled as she watched the little black creatures trying to drag the red, squelching object that left a wet, crimson trail mark all across the floor.

The stench of something foul and rotting was strong inside the dank room. It came from the red lump on the floor that had been there for three days.

The girl-with-no-name couldn't recall much. Apart from seeing images of a big furry man who came and mauled the moving lump before it had stop moving.

Then the furry man had left, but not before he gave her a toothy grin with red between his teeth.

The girl-with-no-name continued to watch the small black creatures making chittering noises. She squealed in delight when they began to play with a white ball that had a little blue circle at the centre, and pink tendrils wriggling at the bottom.

Her furry friends had been playing with it vigorously, rolling it back and forth while their chittering noises became loud.

All of a sudden, the white ball was sent rolling towards her. It brushed against her left ankle.

The girl-with-no-name laughed. She instantly picked the pale ball and began juggling it with her hands, bouncing it from one hand to the other. The feel of the pink tendrils felt odd against her palms while her fingers were now stained in red.

Thereafter, a door was opened, footsteps echoing around the room as someone walked in.

The girl was still juggling her new toy and giggling softly, when the footsteps abruptly stopped just right in front of her.

"Your mind finally broke, I see." The sound of the man's voice went unnoticed to the girl, who was still playing.

"My sister-in-law was very…ecstatic to inform me of this new development, since I was not here to witness it first-hand."

A tinkling laughter was the girl's only response. She was still too absorbed in her own little world.

There was a short paused as the silver-haired man carefully scrutinized the girl, who was now rolling the pale ball on the floor.

"Merlin's beard! Is that an eye you are playing, mudblood?!..How disgusting!"

There was a swish through the air as the man brandished a stick, where he proceeded to banish the girl's toy, the wet lump across the floor, and everything else that was foul and stinking.

"Ugh! What has Bellatrix had been doing this past few days! The state of the dungeon is worst since I had last visited here. Had she gone into some kind of murderous rampage? Because it seems that a few unfortunate souls had grace this room with all that stink, filth and blood splatter all across the floor and walls... And what of you, mudblood?! Why is it that there is blood all across your mouth?! Don't tell me you have been gnawing on the dead carcasses that are left here to rot?!... "

Another flicked and the girl's face was clean in a second, as well as the rest of her body.

"Indeed, you have been starved for weeks that you must be hungry enough to feed on the dead! Just the thought of it is utterly revolting! I hope the blood that I cleaned off your mouth is mostly yours."

Of course, there was no answer from the girl, who had begun playing with her red, red fingers.

There was another deafening silence, except for the small sounds of scampering feet as the little black creatures fled the area after the man's shouting.

"You know…when I first came here…I thought about beating you bloody with my cane. The Dark Lord hadn't been forgiving after your friends had escaped, and the torture that followed after was nothing to go by…"

His words were met with silence as the girl continue to stare off in space.

"Of course, you probably knew this when you were still sane…I waited for my sister-in-law after she was done with you. So when the night came, I thought about pommeling you until your turn blue – since I have no wand at that time... However, at the sight of you talking to the air – rambling about your adventures with Potter and Weasley. It made me pause... because you reminded me that there is still someone down here, who is suffering far worse than me - worse than what the Dark Lord put me through. And because of that, I had gotten an immense satisfaction of seeing you reduced to the state of conjuring hallucinations and prattling on incessantly…The sight of you descending into insanity somehow gave me the distraction that I needed from wallowing in self-pity…"

Stormy-grey eyes coolly observed the girl on the floor, before saying.

"Yes, I have to admit that you are quite bright for a mudblood…even my son had been annoyed that you were rank higher in class than him. And judging by the tales that you have regaled to me in the past few weeks, I can finally see why Potter had survived this long… The boy would have certainly been dead without your brains to reign in his impulsiveness."

The girl-with-no-name suddenly started humming a soft tune while she rocked herself from side to side.

"Hmn…hnnn..hmn..hhhnnn.."

The man pause once again, gazing at her with an inscrutable look.

"But to tell you the truth, mudblood, there were other reasons why I came here often," The man admitted freely – free because the girl no longer had a presence of mind to judge him.

"It's because you do tell such interesting tales…tales that – shall we say - most of my fellow brethren will kill for."

The blonde man began pacing while he looked deep in thought.

"My sister-in-law is too preoccupied with only the thoughts of torturing you that she failed to think no further than that. Nonetheless, this is a good thing, when it means that she still doesn't know yet what the Dark Lord had hid in her Gringotts vault - if your theories are correct – then the cup is a horcrux."

The blonde man rambled on as he stopped his pacing to look at the girl once again, who was now smiling absentmindedly and twirling a lock of her knotted hair.

"A horcrux, huh?...such a dark thing to have. But, if it is true then…it means that the Dark Lord is very much immortal… And since I now know his secret, I am certain that he will not hesitate to kill me because of it…even Bella is not informed of this fact, which could only mean one thing. The Dark Lord doesn't want anyone to know of his little secret…"

Another thoughtful pause.

"Perhaps it's a good thing that your mind is already broken beyond repair. The knowledge that you have unwittingly divulge to me will someday be beneficial for my family...and I don't want the Dark Lord finding out that I know about his terrible secret if he happens to delve into your mind…Moreover, I am very interested about what Dumbledore had left in your hands...A children's book written in ancient runes, was it?..."

There was no answer, of course, from the other occupant of the room, except for the ever-present empty gaze plastered on her gaunt face.

"I'm a little surprised and disappointed that you haven't figured it out yet…For I believe it must be connected to what the Dark Lord had been looking into for months. And apparently, his current preoccupation is something more important to him if he hadn't bothered with you at all. He must have forgotten that you are even here, girl."

The girl in question blinked, her head cocking to the side as if she had heard something.

"I wonder if you would have discovered what the Dark Lord was looking for if you had escaped." The blonde man mused out loud. "How disappointing that your mind was already shattered before I can listen to your theories of this matter."

Silence reigned.

"Perhaps I shall have this dungeon cleaned by the house elf twice in every week, and have Winky remove the dead before it began to rot…The thought of coming here and being greeted by the sight of you chewing on the corpse is enough to give me nightmares…"

The man momentarily looked pensive as he inspected the thin and dirty girl, who was now twiddling her thumb. There was a few seconds of silence…and then, without warning, the man let out a soft chuckle as if recalling something.

"If I remember correctly, you told me that you had set-up a campaign for the house elves around your fifth year, wasn't it? What was it called again? STEW?..."

The blonde man laughed out loud, and the girl on the floor suddenly looked up at the sound, finally noticing the man's presence.

Lucid brown eyes met a pair of grey.

"You are very amusing for a mudblood…." The man commented, carefully regarding the girl sitting on the floor. "After listening to you talk for days, I now quite understand how your mind works – or rather, worked... In truth, your naivety and sense of justice won't have survived in this world. However, I do have to commend you for your passion and resilience..."

The girl's attention was now focused on the man, still remaining silent.

"I shall talk to you next time, mudblood. My wife might come looking for me in the study. She is probably expecting me to be deep in my cups by now, which I plan to do." He said, stepping back.

The man turned to leave, but suddenly stopped to glance at her.

"Don't you think it's ironic that I'm the one who is talking to you while you listened to me this time?... Or even the fact that I'm here talking to you at all?...If your mind is still intact, mudblood, I certainly won't be here…having this one-sided nightly conversation…"

The girl's eyes followed the man as he began walking away.

He turned to her one final time as he carefully opened the dungeon gates. His eyes taking in a serious glint at his next revelation.

"And I have to say this...I always came here the first few days because I find your voice soothing and your adventure stories enlightening... That was the other reasons why I sought you out, even if such action is just utterly pathetic even for me."

The man swung the door opened and left, murmuring softly.

"The next time, however… our roles will be reverse."

As the sound of footsteps faded...

In the pitch-black darkness, the girl-with-no-name grinned eerily.

 **Chapter 2: Her Angel in the Dark**

 _ **Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire**_

 _ **England, Great Britain**_

 _ **One week later….**_

"Have you ever felt like you are a prisoner in your own house, girl?" Lucius asked as he swung the opened the flask of firewhiskey into his mouth, gulping its contents, where the liquid burned a fiery trail down his throat. His adams apple bobbing as he swallowed. The liquor became a churning heat inside his stomach.

Once he had gulped enough, Lucius lowered the decanter to his side before saying, "Because I have….You see, mudblood, I'm actually a prisoner inside my own house. My entire family is a complete failure in the eyes of the Dark Lord... So now…now, I'm reduced to drinking and talking to you like some kind of person who needs special counselling… Pathetic, isn't it?!"

Another gulped.

"Too bad the time-turners in the Department of Mysteries have all been destroyed during the battle there, or I might have make use of it like you did in you third year….I might even save my entire family and myself from going down this path…"

There was no response from the other person in the room because the girl Lucius had been talking to was merely staring at nothing in particular, completely oblivious to his presence.

But Lucius Malfoy did not mind. In fact, he preferred the girl without her sanity. It was one of the reason he had been frequently visiting her just to have this one-sided talk – to talk some things out that he was afraid to confide in his wife.

Although there were certain instances when the girl would notice him there, and would stare at him while he told her anything and everything that came to his mind. But most of the time, the girl would be locked in her own little world, and completely ignoring him.

However, Lucius would still come to her to complain, grouch and bemoan the state of affairs he and his family had gone through. Talking to her felt like somewhat therapeutic, which help lift the heavy feeling rooted in his heart.

"Now, my family and I are like prisoners in our home." Lucius added drunkenly as he took another swig from his drink, blinking owlishly at the girl sitting on the floor.

Lucius was somewhat pleased to see that the girl was no longer covered in blood, and smelled of something rotten every time he came down there. It was thanks to the house elf Winky, who would clean her an hour before midnight, just prior to his regular visits.

"My wife is still very displeased with me for pushing my son to become a Death Eater." He divulged to the girl, leaning against the wall behind him as if he could no longer support his weight.

Lucius's mind was getting a bit muddled and he was having double vision. His back hit the wall, where it gave him the stability that he sorely needed in that instance.

Good thing the dungeon was now in the best condition. Unlike before, there was no rotting corpses or blood stains splattered on the wall and across the floor after Winky the house elf had followed Lucius per orders to tidy the place up frequently.

Hence, he had no problem brushing his expensive night clothes against the wall behind him.

"Did you know that my wife and I hadn't been intimate for nearly a year?" Lucius said all of a sudden, taking a long gulped from his liquor afterwards.

"That's how angry she is at me, but in the presence of other people, she acts like she normally does…. Her blood is as pure as mine, and we purebloods prefer our marital disputes conducted behind closed doors…I have tried reconciling with my wife but she seems to be enjoying the sight of me suffering, and blaming me through her eyes that this was my fault in the first place. And tonight-tonight…Well, my wife didn't want me near her... I tried to initiate some form of intimacy with her but she rebuked my advances – she told me that I might be better off getting drunk than the chance of bedding her…And so here I am."

There was another pause which was punctuated by a gulping sounds as Lucius drunk the last drops of his firewhiskey. Once he had emptied most of it into his ravenous mouth, he slowly straightened up, only to lurk from side to side as he lost his ability to stand up properly.

He slumped back on the wall once more for support.

"Here I am mudblood…pathetically talking to you." He murmured morosely, his blood-shot eyes drooping to hide his stormy-grey eyes. His long silver-blonde lashes a stark contrast against the reddish hues that rimmed his lids; a clear sign that he hadn't been sleeping well.

"I always wonder what you might have said to me about this situation when you were still sane…."

Silence.

"Time for me to - to go …before I end up sle - sleeping in this.. horrid place." Lucius said groggily. He carefully stood up, trying to make some sense from what was up and down, and left and right. He half-stumbled and half-walked towards the door. His shoes scoffing noisily against the cold, stone floor. His head becoming muddled as he reached the door, almost hitting his head against the door frame.

"'Til next…mud..blood." He said, his words slurring as he finally opened the door and left.

 _..._

For the next days, Lucius came down in the dungeon often. Depressed and always deep in his cups. But the girl was always the same.

Bellatrix had lost interest in torturing the girl after the mudblood had stopped responding to almost anything. Not even the pain from the cruciatus curse.

"Mudblood…someday, I will restore my family's good name to its former glory…" He vowed to her the next night. Before that, Lucius had spent his time telling the girl about the inner workings of the pureblood society. He also admitted to her that most of his pureblood peers were laughing at him behind his back, but they were too dignified to do it directly in front of him and his family.

"And someday, mudblood, those of the other pureblood houses will fear the Malfoy name by the time the Dark Lord win this war...I will make them pay for it."

...

 _Another day pass by…_

"My son, Draco, is suffering as I am... He is now afraid what the Dark Lord will do to us once he comes back…And in truth, I don't want the Dark Lord to come back as well…Don't you, mudblood?"

 _..._

"Narcissa had made it plenty clear to me that I'm not welcome in her bed…Such a stubborn wife I have. My sister-in-law will probably find the truth soon enough that my wife and I haven't been in good terms since last year. There's no point in pretending to live in marital bliss, when I'm sleeping in a different bed chamber. For certain, most of my fellow Death Eaters will hear of this soon - another gossip that Bellatrix would have the pleasure of divulging to everyone I'm sure."

...

"I see that my sister-in-law have completely left you alone. Then, there's no need for Winky to check you for injuries. I've been informed by the house elf that most of your scars are cleaned and healing quite nicely. Though I'm afraid some of those scars would remain unhealed… Bellatrix had made sure of that… But, you fortunate that you are even still alive, mudblood."

...

"Mudblood, can you understand me?" Lucius asked one night, when he noticed that there was something in the mudblood's eyes that look to be a glitter of awareness.

"Did you understand what I just said?" He repeated as he stood inside the shadows of the dark dungeon, regarding the girl on the floor, who was looking at him. Her eyes meeting his silver-grey orbs directly.

The girl did not answer. Instead, she cocked her head to the side like a curious little child. Her caramel eyes wide and attentive.

Lucius examined the girl a few short seconds before stepping forward. He extended his hand towards her, trying to see what she will do with it.

Another shift of her head. The girl looked at him and then at his extended hand. Curious and confused.

The girl did not do anything but observed him and his hand in silence.

Lucius could only sigh in exasperation at her lack of response. For some reason, he felt a slight tinged of disappointment when he realized that the girl was still mentally broken to comprehend anything.

There was also a pang of pity when he had looked at her in that moment. An emotion that surprised even him.

The girl was still but a child. The same age as his own son, and she would have become someone of note in the future if certain circumstances hadn't led her there, imprisoned in his own manor.

She would have had such a great future ahead of her, if not for the fact that her mind had been irrevocably shattered.

...

 _One week later…_

"Hello, my pet." Lucius greeted her. He had been calling her that name when the girl had started responding to him somewhat, like an eager child just learning how to talk.

She had even made a name for him.

She called him an 'Angel' the first time she talked.

"Angel," the girl responded jubilantly. Her eyes alight when she saw him enter. "Angel!"

That was all the girl could say. One word, which Lucius presumed she had remembered from her years as a toddler.

But Lucius was trying to teach her new words. And for some unfathomable reason, this new task that he had set for himself had somehow kept him occupied, which in turn prevented him from drinking and wallowing in his depression during the night.

Because seeing the girl's eyes sparkle with excitement and curiosity, always made Lucius feel oddly light-hearted, no matter how much he tried to quash those kinds of emotions she had elicited from him. Her child-like wonder reminded him of his son, Draco, when he had been a toddler; and somehow his cold, stony heart had slightly softened towards her.

It might be disturbing to other purebloods if they find out that Lucius was treating the mudblood as one of his own. But this was his little secret. Lucius had made sure that no one knows he had been visiting the mudblood with the help of the house elf, Winky, who seemed to have taken a pity on the girl, and had even started mothering her.

So when the girl had spoken her first word, Lucius had been a bit surprise and puzzled by it. He was surprised that the mudblood was able to form one coherent word, and puzzled about what it meant.

After doing some research, Lucius finally found out that the girl had named him after some winged creature - from what he gathered - as a follower of what the muggles called God, who ruled over the good.

This fact amused Lucius greatly because he was no Angel, albeit he might looked like one with his long, platinum-blonde hair, his silver-grey eyes and his ethereal looks.

But despite of his looks, he was not one of those supernatural beings of the light.

In fact, he was exactly what the muggles called the Devil.

"Angel," The girl all but purred like a cat, when Lucius ran his hand through her curls - her chestnut curls that were properly maintained by Winky, so it seemed.

Fortunately, Bellatrix hadn't been paying attention to the mudblood to have notice the change in the girl's appearance.

The girl now looked healthier compared to three weeks ago.

"What do you want to learn now, my pet?" He inquired, though he knew she couldn't understand him that much, but still he asked. The girl merely nuzzled her face against his open palm in response, and Lucius couldn't resist cupping her smooth cheek, where he subsequently rubbed his thumb over her cheek bone in a light, feathery caress.

The girl gave him a smile and said "Angel."

And for the life of him, that smile was his undoing. Her smile was another reason Lucius had trouble keeping his hands to himself, when every time he did touch her, she always gave him that warm, heart-melting smile as if his touch alone was the only happy thing she had in that dark, desolate hellhole in which she lived.

"Perhaps I'll teach you something new, my pet."

...

 _Another week later…_

Lucius had snuck the girl into his chamber with the help of Winky, and after the girl had been cleaned and given food, Lucius had started giving her lessons.

"One," the girl said as she bent down Lucius thumb towards his palm.

She was holding his large hand between her feminine hands as she used his fingers whilst trying to remember how to count.

"Two," she said as she did the same thing with his index finger.

"Three," then his middle finger.

"Four," she bent his ring finger, where his wedding ring was.

"Five," The girl finished by bending his pinky, where the girl now held his closed hand.

The girl then turned her eyes towards him`. Her caramel eyes questioning.

Lucius smiled in assurance at her.

"Good," He said, somewhat proud of his accomplishment for making the mudblood relearn her numbers.

"You did well."

The girl in turn beamed as if she understood him, where she then leaned her face towards him, expecting a pat in the head or a caress in the cheek that Lucius had been giving her lately as some kind of reward.

She was like a human pet to him.

Her action always didn't fail to amuse Lucius, so he obliged and gave her a pat in the head, followed by a soft caress in the cheek, where she tried to press her face closer to his palm.

Lucius could only chuckle at her antics.

"Now, now, mudblood, don't be too greedy. I still have other things to teach you. I can't spend my time petting you for the rest of the evening."

However, once Lucius tried to take his hand away from her face, the girl just caught his hand between hers and trapped it there. Her face nuzzling against his palm stubbornly.

Lucius Malfoy, the Head Patriarch of the Malfoy House, could only sigh in defeat. His heart softening as he looked at the girl sitting in front of him. The girl's expression had taken in a look of contentment as she rubbed the soft skin of her cheeks against his palm. Lucius was glad that Bellatrix hadn't scarred the mudblood in the face because he rather like the creamy smoothness of her skin.

He understood the reason behind her odd behaviour. The mudblood had been constantly subjected through excruciating pain for the past months that the only thing she knew about was pain - pain and suffering - while the rest of the emotions she did feel was simply alien to her.

So, when the first time Lucius had patted her in the head, the girl had immediately latched onto him like a lost kitten, and insanely needy for some form of kindness. To which Lucius had been reluctant at first to provide her, but after a while, he had somewhat gotten used to dispensing a little pat in the head, or a simple brush of his fingers against her cheeks.

…

 _Much later…_

 _What am I going to do with you?_ Lucius wondered as he laid the mudblood on the cold dungeon floor.

The girl had fallen asleep on him a few hours ago, and Lucius had been hesitant at first to wake her.

In the end, he had to return her back to dungeon or someone might notice her absence there. Thankfully, he had Winky watched out for them to prevent such incident from happening…

 _What did you do to me, mudblood, to make me act this way?_

 _..._

 _Two weeks later…_

Lucius didn't know how long he had started feeling overprotective over the mudblood…He didn't know where it began because by the time he realized this, it was already too late to quell the emotions he felt.

It must be the day she had shown her vulnerability to him, where Lucius had felt a sense of protectiveness towards her - a twisted sense of protectiveness a captor might feel towards a prisoner.

During that time when Lucius had revealed every bit of weakness he had to her, he hadn't known that he was also leaking out bits and pieces of himself away. Even if it was unseemly for him to do so - to feel those kinds of emotion from someone of his station and pureblood upbringing - and towards a mudblood no less.

But after months of feeling depressed, and constantly hungry for affection, which his wife failed to give him, Lucius must have unknowingly sought this attention to the closest thing to him there - towards the person who had seen him in such a vulnerable state, and knew of his innermost and darkest secrets.

To someone who had also been there to witness his fall since the very beginning.

The mudblood, whom he should, and would have despise, if their circumstances hadn't changed at all.

However, Lucius knew her as she knew him, even when she hadn't had the presence of mind to remember everything that was said between them. She might be insane, but Lucius was sane enough to remember for the both of them. And this must had been the reason why he had started to feel the overwhelming protectiveness towards the mudblood.

Now, Lucius couldn't stop the feeling of worry when he heard the latest news about a break-in at Gringotts. He was worried what the Dark Lord might do to the mudblood once he found out that the Horcrux had been taken from Bellatrix vault.

...

 _Later that night…_

"Pet, I have both good and bad news for you." Lucius began as he stormed into the dungeon unceremoniously. Every sinew in his body was tensed and vibrated with worry as he halted in front of the girl, who immediately stood up at the sight of him.

"Angel!" She cried out happily before she launched herself at him.

Lucius nose crinkled in disgust as the smell of her hit him. Winky hadn't cleaned her yet since it was still dinner time, but he had been ordered by the Dark Lord to prepare the mudblood later for what he feared was her execution.

A twinge of worry shot through his heart at the thought of it.

Lucius carefully detached himself from her. He stared down at the girl, who barely reached pass his shoulder. The girl was really short in stature that she had to arch her neck back to peer up at him. Her warm pair of caramel eyes met his stormy-grey orbs. The happy glint on her eyes nearly made him want to hesitate.

 _It must be done._ He thought with determination before saying in a serious tone.

"I'm afraid there won't be any talk and lessons, my little pet. You see, the Dark Lord has returned and he is not very happy with my sister-in-law and the rest of us. Apparently, your friends: Potter, Weasley and that Lovegood girl had snuck into Bellatrix's vault and had taken the Dark Lord's horcrux." He imparted to her, even though she would not understand anything he said, but at least she was looking intently at him.

"Fortunately, your friends escape, however, the Dark Lord is still beyond furious when he had discovered what was stolen - and murderous enough to have killed most of the goblins inside the bank. My sister-in-law did not escape unscathed. Her face had been mauled by Greyback…and raped by the werewolf as a consequence for her incompetence." Lucius said. His heart thudded with apprehension of what would befall on the mudblood and his family tonight.

Bellatrix had been punished, but Lucius knew that the Dark Lord would not stop there.

As expected, the girl looked quite confused about the things he said –of words that were too difficult for her to grasp.

"No lesson?" was the only thing the girl managed to say.

A sad smile grace his lips as he stared straight into those caramel orbs.

"No. No, lessons tonight, my pet." He confirmed, and with a snap of his finger, he called the house elf.

Immediately, Winky appeared beside them.

"But Winky can give you a bath if you like." He added.

At the word 'bath' and 'Winky', the girl squealed in delight and promptly run towards the house elf and took its arm.

Within a second, the girl and the house elf disappeared with a crack, and leaving Lucius deep in his thoughts.

 _I must do this…for my family… These feelings that I have for the mudblood is nothing but an illusion - generated from the unusual circumstance that we have experience. It's just nothing._ He convinced himself as he finally made a decision in choosing his family over some random girl with a shattered mind.

A girl he would no longer see smile... that child-like smile again…

...

 _In the Master Bedroom…_

"I don't like this at all, Lucius. I don't like where this is going. Do you know what the Dark Lord is planning? Why had he chosen the Malfoy Gallery for all the Death Eater's to gather? And why had he ordered us to 'prepare' the mudblood? " His wife inquired worriedly as she paced back and forth above their expensive Persian carpet.

Lucius watched his wife in slight amusement as he sipped the brandy in his hand. He had already drunk one decanter of it earlier on, and now he was consuming the second one with a degree of enthusiasm.

"I am not aware what the Dark Lord is planning, dear wife. Have you forgotten that I've been kicked out from his inner circle? As for preparing the mudblood, you don't need to worry about that, because the house elf is handling it as we speak. The mudblood will look fresh and new as was promised for whatever the Dark Lord has plans for."

"But removing her hair down there, Lucius? Seriously?" Narcissa asked in both revulsion and alarm.

Lucius nearly choked on his brandy at the reminder. To be frank, he had been surprised by the request as well, and a bit puzzled by the odd demands that the Dark Lord had asked of them. Apart from removing the mudblood's pubic hair, the Dark Lord had also ordered them to make sure that the mudblood would look beautiful and fit for an upper-class party. However, instead of the usual dress robes for the girl to wear, the Dark Lord had asked them to dress the mudblood in a sheer dressing gown - especially from Narcissa's wardrobe.

Normally, this would have made Lucius wary of the details that had been requested, but he was slightly drunk to even care.

"What of it, Narcissa? Mayhap the Dark Lord has plans for the mudblood to be given as a gift to a favored Death Eater." Lucius replied nonchalantly. But the tightening grip around the stem of his glass spoke volumes of his inner turmoil. The muscle in his jaw jumped as Lucius clenched his teeth when a rush of over-protectiveness surged through him at the thought of the mudblood's fate.

Lucius took a huge gulp from his wineglass before he assured his wife, trying to dispel the thoughts of the girl.

"Stop worrying, dearest wife. I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

"I hope so too, Lucius….."

"If there is, Narcissa…then we must stand together as a family."

...

"How is she, Winky?" He asked the elf as she appeared with a crack after he had called her.

"She is not yet done, Master. She is still in the bath, playing." The elf responded, and carefully added. "Shall I make her hurry up, Master?"

"No, it's fine. She still has three hours before the meeting takes place. Will that be enough time to prepare her, Winky?" He inquired, surprising the elf.

"Yes, but I can prepare her in an hour if the master wishes it."

"Perhaps after two hours…." Lucius hesitated for a moment before ordering. "Winky, you can take me to her."

"Yes, master." said the elf. She took hold a bit of his robe and apparated.

 _CRACK_

Lucius appeared in the bathroom, where he could see the girl still soaking in the huge bath tub, blowing bubbles through the air and giggling.

"Leave us," He ordered the elf.

Another distinctive crack and the elf was gone.

"Hello, pet." He said as he walked towards the girl sitting in the scented bath water. Her entire body obscured by the bubbles that engulfed the tub, but Lucius did see a glimpse of her bare shoulders just above the foam.

At his appearance, the girl made to rise up from the bath, but Lucius tried to stop her by saying, "No. No, need to—" but to no avail, the girl jumped out from the tub and ran towards him. Completely Naked.

Lucius froze at the sight of her.

"Angel!" the naked girl barrelled towards him – all soaking wet and with some bubbles still clinging to her naked form.

Shortly, the girl had her arms wrapped around his middle while she rubbed her face against his chest like a cat, drenching his white shirt immediately, where he could feel the girl's curves currently pressed against his.

His heart started pounding loudly in his ears while a jolt of desire shot straight to his groin, lighting up every nerve-endings in his body.

In seconds, his arousal was straining in his trousers as the girl continued to nestle her face against his chest.

This hadn't been his plan at all when he came here.

For all the weeks he had spent alone with the girl, the thought of sex never cross his mind. He had never thought of her as anything than someone who needed to be doted on, like a pet, or perhaps a daughter even.

He had never imagined the girl to be more than that. He was a married man, and the girl was too young to be anything than that. No matter what the circumstance they had. Lucius Malfoy was only loyal to his family – to his son and wife.

Lucius was breathing hard by the time he forcefully wrenched the tempting girl away from him.

The girl in question looked surprise by his action.

"No, pet. Don't." He warned her. His tone broke no room for protest, when she took a step towards him.

The girl could only frown at him and took another step forward.

"No, stay right there!" He ordered sharply and the girl stiffened at the change in his tone. Her head cocking to the side in complete puzzlement.

"Angel?" an inquiry coming from her.

Darkened-grey orbs regarded the girl through hooded eyes. Lucius made sure to look the mudblood directly in the face and not anywhere else, because for certain, he didn't know what he would do if he gave in to his desire.

It's been nearly a year since he had sex, and just by the sight of the girl standing naked in front of him, had set his libido on fire.

Thank Merlin, Lucius had taken up the potion to reduce the alcohol in his system before going there, lest he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from pouncing on the girl and taking her right there on the wet floor. Married vows be damned.

"Perhaps it's better if I let you finish your bath before I talk to you." He decided and hastily left the room, leaving the girl to stare after him.

Once outside the bathroom, Lucius started pacing in the guest bedroom, where the girl had been placed in.

He paced like a cage animal, trying to dispel the almost painful throb of his loins.

"Angel?"

It seemed the girl had followed him outside as well. Lucius wanted to groan at that. He stopped pacing and pivoted around to look at the girl. It was a mistake, for when he did, the sight of her naked form seared in his mind.

There might be a lot of scars in both of the girl's arms and legs - courtesy of his sister-in-law. But Lucius Malfoy didn't care about it, all his eyes could see was the girl's lovely breasts with those rosy nipples that were puckered from the cold; the girl's flat stomach, her small waist and that brown curls that dusted just right above her womanhood.

 _Damn!_ He mentally cursed when he felt the noticeable stir in his loins. Lucius was painfully hard now and his mind had almost glazed over with pure, unadulterated lust at the sight of her standing there naked and soaking wet from her bath.

"Come here, pet." Lucius said in a voice thickened with desire.

He had to swallow down the lump on his throat as the girl did as instructed. Like an obedient little pet dog or cat.

The girl halted in front of him smiling. Her eyes shined with that undeniable innocence of a child. Lucius wanted to groan at that look.

 _Just this one time. Just this once, and I will have to do what I came here to do._ Lucius told himself as he reached out and run the tips of his fingers across the girl's right cheek.

Instantly, the girl leaned towards his touch, pressing the side of her face into his large hand. Her caramel eyes warming up.

All-consuming passion swept over him when he saw that adoring look on her eyes, and without warning, he pulled her flushed against his body, moulding every hard planes and contours of his tall frame against the girl's soft curves and swells of her breasts.

The girl responded by wrapping her arms around his middle and began nuzzling her face against his chest once more.

Lucius could only groan at the girl's innocence, when her bare stomach brushed against his manhood through his trousers.

"You are exquisite. Don't you know that mudblood?" He said hoarsely as he slowly moved his hand behind the girl's nape and roughly pulled her towards him for a kiss. Once their lips met, Lucius couldn't help the moan that escaped from him at the feeling of the girl's soft lips crushed against his, stoking his desire for her even more.

He drew her closer to him, wanting to feel every bit of her feminine curves pressing tightly against him while he breathed in that flowery scent that clung to her still-wet body.

At first, Lucius slowly moved his lips against the girl's, who seemed a bit confused at the new sensation that he was giving her.

He remedied this by tentatively teaching her.

He parted his lips to mould them against the girl's pliant mouth, who then responded to him experimentally, following his lead. He could feel the girl's curiosity clearly as her lips moved against his. Their breathing intermingling as their mouths parted and met in a slow dance of tempered passion and shy exploration.

Lucius' hands kneaded the girl's nape where he felt her shudder and pressed closer to him, her lips opening further, and turning needy and hungry for more.

And Lucius responded in kind, he could feel lust clouding his mind as he slowly walked them back towards the bed, nearly stumbling along the way as their heads angled from side to side as the girl kissed him in her shy and curious way that nearly drove him mad.

Lucius wanted her with a savage hunger that surprised him. He wanted her so, so bad that he was close to ripping his pants off and bury himself completely into her tight, moist heat.

Soon after, his body reacted strongly to where his mind had drifted off. Instantly, his kiss turned demanding and insistent as he finally used his tongue to probe the girl's mouth, seeking entrance to that sweet nectar that he so badly wanted to taste.

 _Merlin!_ The girl smelled and tasted intoxicating that Lucius' mind had stopped working to the point that he wouldn't even care when someone walked in on them, even if he was in the process of thrusting himself into her.

He could already feel the girl completely submitting to his sensual ministrations. He felt her body trembling in his arms at the force of her awakening desire - a new feeling that she had forgotten, along with the other emotions that was locked in her broken mind.

Yet still Lucius desired her, desired her so terribly that it drove away all thoughts of his wife and son from his consciousness, despite the fact that the girl was not entirely whole.

The girl gradually parted her lips for him, and Lucius moaned out loud when his tongue finally entered her wet cavern, at last able to savour her delicious taste and explore her.

A fiery heat burned right at the pit of his belly while a jolt of delight went straight to his groin as he kissed the girl deeply, his manhood hardening even more and moistening at the intensity of his arousal when her tongue met his.

And then, when his craving for her mounted, Lucius could no longer hold himself back. In haste, he was pushing her against the bed and climbing on top of her naked form while their mouths clashed and melded together in wild passion, and with their tongues stroking every crevice that they could find; the girl still inexperienced in her fervour, yet it made Lucius want her. Their breathing became a rasp and rapid as their kissed turned heated.

He didn't remember placing himself between the girl's naked thighs, but he was grateful that he did, for every time he grind himself against the girl's glistening body, she would let out a gasp of pure pleasure when his bulging manhood rubbed against her wet passage.

He could smell her arousal, along with his familiar musk that permeated the air as their hands started moving and reaching out for each other.

The girl in his arms jumped slightly when he cupped her breast in his large palm. She trembled and moaned against his mouth when he used his thumb to flick her left nipple, slowly circling the erect peak until the girl's breast seemed to swell and hardened in response.

The girl squirmed in his arms. Her face flushing at the new sensation he gave her while a myriad of emotions fleeted through her face. And the thing that stood out most was her expression of unrestrained desire.

The girl was so responsive.

He discovered, because when he started flicking and rolling his thumbs over both of her nipples, she would either shiver or kiss him desperately when he did this. Soon, he could feel the girl grinding back at him, and he groaned into their kiss while he sucked her tongue out of pure need, and earning a moan from her in return.

The girl was getting thoroughly aroused from his sensual assault that Lucius was tempted to go down on her and taste her wet arousal, and see if it's as delicious as her mouth.

 _This is so wrong... The girl is not in her right mind. What the hell are you doing?!_ Some part of Lucius reminded him, and that made him abruptly paused, something like guilt slowly crept into his mind, which surprised him.

He had done a lot of nefarious things in his past, but this was the first time he had ever felt guilty about something.

Gradually, and in agony of his decision, Lucius' hand left the girl's breasts and broke their kiss.

However, before he could completely withdraw and cool down his ardour, the girl stopped him.

With a look of eagerness and something else in her eyes, she caught his hand once more and place them back on her.

Lucius had to suck a lungful of breath, when he saw the gleam of something akin to desire in the girl's eyes as she pressed the palm of his hand on her full breast, letting him cup her while she pressed herself against his palm.

"More," was the only word she said before his control disintegrated once more. In a flash of heat, Lucius cock responded to her words alone.

"Then, I will give you what you want, my pet...I will give you all of me." He said. His voice shook and barely above whisper while he hurriedly removed the buckles from his trouser and unzipped his fly.

The girl lying down on the bed cocked her head to the side when Lucius's large length sprung out after he had pulled his front boxers and trousers down. His manhood already glistening with pre-cum and curving upwards, where a vein throbbed at the side while the ridged tip of his arousal was a pink hue and swollen. He was so hard that his cock stood almost straight up to his stomach.

The girl stared at his obvious desire for her, and towards the white creamy liquid seeping out from his slit. For a moment, Lucius saw the girl licked her lips, right before she did something unexpected.

To Lucius growing shocked and intense ecstasy, the girl was on him without hesitation. One moment she was lying down underneath him, and the next, she was the one pushing him on the bed and then going down on him.

In seconds, he felt the girl's hot mouth wrapped around the head of his throbbing cock. There was a flash of searing heat that coiled in his belly at the sensation of her wet mouth engulfing his tip which tore a delighted gasp from him.

"Oh- sweet lord! - Ugnh..." He exclaimed, followed by a loud, guttural moan when the girl proceeded to lick and suckle the trickling liquid that came out from his manhood. His hips involuntarily thrusting upwards to her questing mouth.

"Oh Merlin!... " Every bit of him was on fire now as the girl continued to suck him and flick her tongue around the tip of his arousal like a friggin' candy. His cold composure breaking at the sheer sensation of the mudblood's mouth tightly wrapped around his sensitive tip. Every nerve endings in his body firing up at the feeling of her wet tongue and mouth.

He heard her inhaling the heavy scent of his arousal, and he knew that she must like his musk for she was making this odd sounds when she started to lick the rest of him. Like licking a melting ice cream, the girl lapped at his pre-cum from the tip of his cock and down to his base. The way she moved her tongue was almost timid, but it became bold as his body responded to her curious exploration.

In fact, the tentative and slow glide of her tongue made him want to take her already. It was driving him mad with blinding lust.

There was a red haze that wrapped around Lucius' mind that he didn't even know that he was emitting an incoherent amount of noises from the intensity of his pleasure.

"Stop, pet. Or I will come into your mouth soon... Sto - stop it!" Lucius could only groan at her, as he abruptly propped himself up and took both of her hands and making her small, nimble fingers wrapped around his hardened member.

The liquid fire in his belly intensified when the girl's hands touched him, and at the same time, she continued to lick his pre-cum that leaked out from his tip. Her feminine fingers and palms curling around his manhood just as he moved his hands above hers.

Lucius knew that he wouldn't last long by the way the girl used her mouth and tongue to explore his male anatomy. He wanted to prolong both of their pleasure together before he would take her entirely.

So, he forced her to remove her wonderful mouth from his throbbing manhood. It was by iron-will that he was able to do so.

"Use your hand to pleasure me instead, pet. Rub my cock like this. I don't want to come soon with your mouth wrapped around me." He managed to say in a husky tone while he demonstrated to her.

Still holding the girl's hands, he moved her hands up and down his rigid length. His breathing becoming laboured as her small hands moved around his entire length. From the base of his shaft and to his ridged tip, she stroked him. Her curious eyes observing their joined hands moving over his cock.

Lucius was thoroughly turned on about the situation that his face had flushed. His nipples stood proudly in chest while pre-cum wept from the tip. There was a jolt of pleasure every time the girl pulled at him and over the sensitized head of his cock. He moaned, beyond pleased, when the girl tightened her hold on him and she began to pump him, finally able to understand what he wanted.

The girl in question was staring at him intently as he thrust his manhood in time with her hands. His breath became a gasp of pleasure as she continued to stroke him hard.

"Ugh…that felt good, pet…ugh…ughn… Don't stop." He moaned as he finally let go of her hands and allowing her to do it on her own.

The girl said something, but for the life of him, he didn't know what it was.

"Hmn?" was his distracted response as he jerked his hips forward. The girl was slowly stroking him and Lucius couldn't help but grunt in impatience.

"More," the girl said all of a sudden, and at her word, another wave of unrestrained passion shot through him. The head of his manhood moistened even further, and lubricated him as the girl pushed and pulled her hand against the velvety skin of his shaft.

Merlin, he wanted to take her right there and then.

Lucius turned his attention back to the girl, but before he could open his mouth. There was a loud crack.

Every muscle in his body froze at the sound, and his head whipped around to look while he swiftly remove himself from the girl's wonderful hands.

It was only Winky, who looked shocked at the sight of him and the mudblood doing something sordid, but wisely clamped her mouth shut as she informed them in slight panic.

"Master, Mistress is coming this way."

At the information, Lucius swiftly clothed himself and turned to the girl still kneeling on bed with a frown marring her pretty face.

"Angel?" she asked almost uncertainly.

"I'm sorry, my pet." Lucius said while there was an unknown emotion that twisted his gut and made his heart heavy. "But I must end this…"

He reached out to hold the side of her face and gave her an innocent peck on her forehead. The girl in turn leaned further towards him, her eyes fluttering shut.

With the mudblood's eyes still closed, he secretly pulled his wand out and pointed it towards the girl's temple.

The mudblood's eyes shut opened at the feeling of his wand. Her caramel eyes staring straight at him.

"Obliviate." was the spell that left his mouth without hesitation, and Lucius watched as the girl's eyes glazed over.

He erased the girl's memories of him since the day he had visited her. He couldn't afford for the Dark Lord to know of his past transgression and his involvement with the mudblood…

The girl's eyes returned back to the way it was since her mind was broken.

Blank and unaware.

Lucius heart wrenched at the sight of it, but it must be done.

He gave her a last peck on the cheek and promptly apparted away from there, just in time for the door to swing open, signalling the arrival of one Narcissa Malfoy.

"Why is the girl sitting naked in the bed, Winky?!" was what Narcissa Malfoy asked the moment her eyes landed on the girl in particular.

...

 _An hour later…_

In the confines of his chamber, Lucius had stashed away the vial that contained every living memories he had of the girl. He hid the vial in a place only he could find.

Afterwards, he pointed his wand at himself and performed a memory charm to modify everything that pertained to the girl, and nullifying every last emotions that he had felt for her.

...

 _Two hours later…_

In the Malfoy Gallery, where more than a dozen black-robed figures stood in a circle, and perhaps, twice as many moving portraits who watched on with curiosity. Lucius, his wife and his son, Draco, stood amongst the circle who waited silently.

"Let us begin," Voldemort said ominously as he snapped his finger, calling the house elf.

The loud cracked echoed in the vast cavern of the gallery as the house elf appeared with the mudblood girl.

Lucius nose wrinkled in disgust when he saw her, even more so when he realized that the mudblood was wearing nothing, but a diaphanous nightdress, which he recalled his wife previously owned.

However, like all the male in the room, their eyes were drawn to the girl's breast and all her female curves which were blatantly displayed beneath the sheer dress that she wore. Her small, rosy nipples and the unmistakable glimpse of her sex between her slim thighs made every men in the room seemed to freeze. Others were fidgeting from where they stood as the air in the gallery became tensed and suffocating.

The sneer in Lucius Malfoy's face disappeared. He glanced at his wife, who looked pale and disturbed. His wife met his stare, and without even speaking their thoughts out loud, their hands reached out for each other and held, as they spoke with their eyes alone.

 _It's going to be alright._ He assured her with his gaze, where his wife squeezed his hand tighter in retaliation. _Stop worrying._

Her last response was just a shake of her head before their silent conversation was interrupted by the Dark Lord.

"You have all been wondering why we are all gathered here in this Gallery…"

…..

 **Author's Note:** As for Lucius' odd behaviour towards Hermione. It's called **Lima Syndrome** , which is the opposite of _Stockholm syndrome_. Instead of the hostages feeling something for their abductors, in **Lima Syndrome,** the abductors will develop feelings of empathy towards their captives.

It's called _'Lima'_ Syndrome because this kind of situation was observed during a hostage situation that occurred in the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru, in 1996. In **Lima syndrome** , when there are multiple abductors, there will be instances when some of them will disagree with one another in the treatment of their hostages, and might even influence the others to behave with empathy and hesitation.


End file.
